The proposed work consists of two projects. In the first, we utilize a new "ballistic method" to secure information on the conformation of long hydrocarbon chains in polar solvents. Dodecane, for example, was subjected to free radical chlorination in solution, and the relative amounts of the six isomeric monochlorododecanes determined quanitiatively by GLC analysis. Coiling of the chains shields certain carbons from attack more than others, thus yielding information on the nature of chain folding. Coiling will be determined as a function of solvent, temperature, and chain length. In the second project, we study the chemistry of "water pools": aggregates of water solubilized in hydrocarbon solvents. We are investigating the molecular dynamics of pool formation, transfer of solutes among the pools, motional freedom and polarity within the pools, and the kinetics of fast proton transfers within the pools. A variety of techniques are being utilized including NMR, ESR, light scattering, and UV spectrophotometry.